Fresh Infusions
by The.Dragon.Singer
Summary: Fury had a back-up plan, just in case, because with things like world security, you could never be too careful. If an Avenger didn't cooperate...Fury had a selection of specials to choose from. But that was before the Tesseract was stolen...before Loki compromised Hawkeye...


Maria Hill strode down the hotel's hallway, dressed casually in a pair of black slacks and a white button up. A shiny metal briefcase bumped against her leg as she searched the doors for a specific number.

Several slender men passed by, giving her suspicious looks before continuing down the hall, speaking to one another quietly.

Maria frowned, stopping in front of the door last on the left. She took a deep breath and knocked.

The hall was quiet for several seconds before the door was ripped open, and Maria got the first face to face look of her target.

She was olive skinned, with a proud-but-not-straight nose, and eyes hidden by a pair of mirrored aviators. Her short black hair was wet, dripping down her long neck and face and falling around her ears. A braid snaked from behind her right ear, a silver charm flashing near the end.

She was tall, about five foot eight, with long limbs and elegant fingers. Several piercings flashed from beneath her hair.

"Yeah?" The woman asked, crossing her arms over the front of her plush white robe.

"Savitri Zaman?" The woman lifted a perfectly curved eyebrow. "My name is Maria Hill. May I come in?"

Savitri stepped to the side and followed the SHEILD agent with eyes that were hidden behind a pair of mirrored sunglasses. While it was obviously bright outside, sunglasses weren't needed indoors.

Maria took a seat on the wheeled desk chair and Savitiri lowered herself to the end of the queen bed.

"Why are you here?" The olive skinned woman asked, her face blank and her tone slightly hostile. "I wasn't aware I was getting a visitor today."

"I work for SHEILD-"

"Which stands for what? I'm not stupid. You want me for something, Mary."

"Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. And it's Agent Hill." The woman clenched her fingers around the edges of the briefcase in her lap. "The Director-"

"Save the long speech?" Savitri growled out, and Maria held back a flinch at the animalistic noise.

"We know what you are, and we want you on our team." The brunette snapped open the briefcase and handed it over.

"What's this?" Savitri picked up the rectangular piece of glass that sat in the padded case.

"All the information you could want." Maria informed standing. "The Director and I thought it would be a good idea."

Savitiri remained on the bed, but placed the glass back in the case. Maria glanced over her shoulder as she opened the door. "Curiosity did kill the cat after all."

And then she closed the door.

* * *

"I hate maps." Phil Coulson grumbled, turning the large paper around in his hands. He was seated inside a black SUV, examining the map in his hands. "And San Francisco."

A sharp knock on his window made the agent jump, and he looked over. A standard police officer stood outside his window, hands hooked in her belt and a scowl on her face.

"This is a no parking zone. You have two minutes to vacate the area or I'm towing." She informed him. Coulson nodded.

"You know where this address is?" He asked, showing her a small slip of paper.

"Go up this street past Twilight Avenue, turn left onto Raven Street and then right onto Sage Drive. The place you're looking for should be there."

"Thank you." Phil nodded, pushing his sunglasses up his nose and turning the key in the ignition.

"You have forty seconds." The police woman grumbled, stepping away from his vehicle.

Phil merged into the traffic and continued up the road like the woman had said. Twilight Avenue was four roads up the one he was on, and Raven Street was the sixth. Small shops lined both sides of the road, and Phil was so intrigued that he nearly missed the turn onto Sage Drive.

The road was shadowed by the buildings on either side, and not as well kept as the others. Garbage was littered in the one-person alleyways and Phil grimace as he continued up the street.

Pulling the SUV to a smooth stop on the right side of the road, Phil glanced at his paper and then at the shop he sat across from.

This was definitely his shop.

The bricks were painted a dark mystic purple, and the sign above the door read '_The Raven's Hall_' and depicted a flying raven with blood red eyes and a blue pentacle behind.

The windows in the front cheerfully displayed candles, various potted herbs, a few skulls, and a large container of spiders.

Phil stepped from the vehicle and ventured inside. The wooden door creaked open ominously.

However, the inside of the shop was painted a cheerful red and the walls were covered in shelves holding various books and crystals.

Phil peered around for the owner. Instead, he met the black eyes of a raven perched on a bird stand beside the cash register.

The raven titled it's head back and forth before emitting a deep rasping croak.

"Yes, Chester. I know he's here." A soft wispy voice offered from behind the SHEILD agent. Phil jumped and turned to face his target.

She was tiny, just a small bit taller than five feet and her skin was alabaster, which was exceedingly hard to achieve in sunny California. Her dark green eyes were framed in dark lashes, and her oval face was framed with long black hair which fell to her waist. She was dressed in a dark green dress with long sleeves that fell like water over her long bony fingers and black-painted nails,and a skirt that fell just below her knees. A black vest sat over the dress and a pair of flat-footed brown boots peeked from under the skirt.

The straight black hair that was tucked behind one of her ears revealed a single piercing; an earring with a black raven's feather.

"Good afternoon, sir." She smiled, gesturing to the pair of chairs he could see behind a set of dark purple curtains at the back of the shop. "Shall we have seat and you can tell me why you're here?"

"Thank you." Phil headed toward the back and the woman followed behind him. The raven followed behind them.

"My name is Lorena Dalca," She announced quietly as she sat. "And this is Chester."

"A pleasure." Phil nodded, setting his briefcase on the table carefully. "Agent Phil Coulson. I work for SHEILD."

"I see." She murmured, running her fingers through the raven's feathers. Her eery green eyes were focused on him solely.

"The Director sent me to convince you to join our cause." He informed her, clicking open the case and spinning it around for her to see.

Lorena took it with steady hands and flicked it on, via the tiny button on the side. Her eyes flickered over the information that appeared; her profile, place of work and living, and the message that Director Fury had left on the device.

"Well, it seems to me that your Director might be desperate." She folded her long bony fingers, and fixed him with a dreamy look. "I am not sure what help I'll be, but if you give me several minutes, I'll come with you."

"Really?"

"You suspected this to be harder." She stated, chuckling almost silently. "I am not unreasonable, Agent Coulson. I'll need to make a call and bring in my other worker. You're welcome to stay here, but there is an exceptional diner just down the street."

"I'll, ah, meet you there then." He coughed, and closed the briefcase.

"Excellent."

* * *

Lorena was right. The diner down the street had excellent food. Phil was just finishing his sandwich when she appeared.

"Those sandwiches are my favourite." She smiled, waving at the chef, who owned the place.

"It was really good. Shall we head out?" He asked. He'd already paid. Lorena led the way out, and Chester dropped to her shoulder, startling the agent.

Lorena merely lifted a finger and rubbed his chest. Chester purred.

Phil shook his head.

* * *

Maria strode through one of the grottoes of the Lingyin Temple, her sharp eyes scanning the area. Finally, the SHEILD agent spotted her next target; she was seated cross-legged against a large rock, dressed in a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved grey shirt, and bright orange sneakers. A pair of square silver glasses were perched on her nose and her dark chocolate hair was pulled into a ponytail.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked, opening her silver-flecked hazel eyes.

"I've been looking for you, Sierra Blakely." Maria sighed, shifting the second briefcase in her hand.

"Whatever it was, I didn't do it." Sierra grumbled. "I'm not in trouble, am I? And nobodies dead?"

"No; neither of those. My name is Maria Hill, Sub-Director of SHIELD. We want you on a special team." The agent held out the briefcase. Sierra gave it a suspicious look, and it floated from Maria's hand to land in front of the woman.

Sierra regarded Maria's expression before opening the case. "You're not surprised about my powers."

"No. I've seen a lot of strange things, and I was warned before-hand. There's a button on the side." Maria supplied to the other brunette, who was turning the glass panel over in her hands. Sierra nodded, and the glass' screen powered on.

The woman looked it over, reading everything carefully. Maria took a seat on another rock across from Sierra.

"So you want me on some superhero team to save the world from an evil god? Do gods even exist?"

"You're in a temple and you're asking me?" Maria snorted. Sierra nodded.

"I'm just on vacation." Sierra laughed, standing. "I'll meet with the Director and hang around a few days, but if I don't like it, I want to be able to leave."

"That's reasonable." Maria nodded, standing as well to shake Sierra's hand.

"Now, shall we discuss details over cheeseburgers back in the city? There's only so long a woman can live on rice."

Maria laughed.

* * *

Phil followed the doctor in the white lab coat down the carefully polished halls of the Los Angles SHIELD branch headquarters.

"Agent Crespo should be down at the shooting range," He frowned. "But I don't think she's ready to be put back on duty, sir."

"The Director seems to think so. I'm only following orders, Doctor." Phil shrugged, picking up his pace. Behind him trailed Lorena and Chester, who was perched on her shoulder.

"In here, Agent Coulson." The doctor sighed, sliding his security card through the terminal.

The sliding metal door opened to a raised metal platform, solid, and with a rack of various sniper rifles lining the far wall. Ammunition clips sat side by side on low shelves.

The only person occupying the platform was a five foot six woman with wide hips, warmly tanned skin, and a bubblegum pink waist-length braid. She was dressed in a long sleeved black shirt and a pair of tight green cameo pants. Brown ammunition belts wrapped around her waist, a pistol sheath sat on her leg, a pair of combat boots sat on her feet, and a pair of dark blue, fingerless gloves with the SHEILD crest on them were wrapped around the L115A3 AWM sniper rifle.

"Agent Martina Crespo," Phil stopped just inside the door, allowing Lorena to peer around him. "I'm Agent Phil Coulson."

"I've heard of you, sir." The pink-haired woman responded, her index finger twitching against the trigger of her rifle. Martina raised her eyes from the sight on her gun to look at the target across the room. "Let me guess, you're here to tell me SHIELD no longer needs my services and that I'm to leave the premises immediately after packing my things."

A carefully plucked eyebrow lifted on her profiled face, Agent Martina Crespo rose to her feet, and then she faced them.

Doe-like gold eyes were narrowed cruelly in the heart-shaped face of the woman. Her nose was petite, slightly turned up at the end, and a spray of freckles were dotted across her nose and cheeks. Martina's thin lips were drawn into an unamused line in her warm tan skin. Muscular arms flexed as though she really wanted to hit someone.

"Agent Crespo," Phil held out a file and the suspicious pink-haired woman took it with a glare. "Director Fury wants you on the team."

"What kind of team?" She put the gun away and flipped through the files.

"We made sure than when we chose our...heroes," Here Phil grimaced. "We chose a small backup team, just in case. You are one of those backups."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"The Avengers." Lorena's wispy voice floated past Coulson. "We're the backups for the Avengers."

"I heard rumours of that." Martina murmured, and her stance shifted. "Let me get this straight; Director Fury has ordered me to return to duty, despite the doctor's insistence that I'm suffering from PTSD, and fight for the greater good of the world with a bunch of people I've never met before?"

"Yes."

"Alright." Martina offered her hand.

"Nice to have you on the team, Phantom."

* * *

Phil and Maria timed their arrival at the helicarrier to an exact second within each-other's arrival; Phil with Phantom and Lorena, and Maria with just Sierra.

"Agent Coulson." Maria acknowledged the man.

"We each had two targets. Where's your second?" Phil responded, getting as close to a sneer within protocol.

"She'll be here." Maria assured, rolling her eyes. "Curiosity killed the cat."

"And satisfaction brought it back." The group of four turned to look at the dark haired woman leaning against an expensive looking red car. "Didja miss me, Mary?"

"Is that a Ferrari Italia?" Phil asked, shifting in his polished shoes.

"It is." Savitri dragged her elegant fingers up the hood. "I love the way the engine purrs. Now, Mary-"

"Agent Hill." Maria grit her teeth.

"Sure, sure, whatever, not important. I'm here. That's what matters, isn't it?" She flicked her short raven hair from her face, and pushed away from her car.

Savitri was dressed in a short black business skirt, a pair of purple pumps, and a gold silk button up tied just above the hemline of her skirt. The silver briefcase sat beside her feet and a pair of keys sat on top of it. Her mirrored aviators sat on her face still.

"I'd like to get my car on the helicarrier," The olive-skinned woman purred, lifting the briefcase and the keys. "And then I want to meet with your Director."

"Who's she?" Sierra asked, leaning over to whisper to Maria. Savitiri turned to regard her.

"Savitri Zaman." She supplied, smirking through ruby painted lips. "And you are?"

"Sierra Blakely, or Rift." The brunette crossed her arms. "I don't like your attitude."

"That's nice, darlin'." Savitri sneered. "I don't like people trying to read my mind, so keep out. Or I'll hurt you."

Sierra rolled her eyes. Savitri revved her engine and sped onto the helicarrier. Lorena and Martina shared looks and Phil just shook his head.

Maria lifted a radio to her mouth.

"Fury, it's Hill." She spoke quickly. "We've got them. Are you sure about this?"

'_Never been more sure of anything, except that bet with Rodgers. We need these women._'

"Sir...I'm pretty sure we've just added another Stark to the team..."

_'Bring them on-board, Agent Hill. We'll show them to their quarters and debrief the group at sixteen hundred hours.'_

"Yes, sir."


End file.
